Small Business Spotlight: Concrete designs offer sturdiness, style

Tron Williamson isn’t quite sure how her husband first became interested in concrete.

“He bought a couple of books and kind of dabbled in it,” she said of her husband, Brian, a pharmacist. “He made our fireplace and outdoor end tables. He likes to work with his hands. I think that was kind of his therapy.”

The couple has turned that interest into a business, Mix Concrete Studio, that produces custom-made fire bowls, wine chillers, furniture and other objects made of concrete.

Brian Williamson’s job as CEO of JCB Labs keeps him from doing much of the hands-on work himself, so he brought in a good friend, Jarred Byrne, to fill that role. Tron Williamson said Byrne is an artistic musician and former firefighter. He and Brian Williamson traveled out of state to train with two well-known makers of concrete objects: Buddy Rhodes Concrete in San Francisco and Set in Stone in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Tron Williamson handles marketing and finances for the business, which opened in a hangar at a former Maize airstrip in January. That space is being used for both production and retail.

“People are more than welcome to come by,” she said. “We do have a lot of of inventory.”

The Williamsons hope to eventually move their business to a downtown location.

Concrete – a mixture of cement, water and other additives – is the most widely used man-made material in the world. It’s usually associated with large projects such as highways and buildings, but its use in smaller items has gained popularity in recent years.

Mix makes objects big and small, from spice racks to planters, tables, sinks and countertops.

Byrne said the material is “beautiful in its own way, with a rugged and timeless personality.”

Williamson said concrete can be polished smooth or left with more texture, tinted and inlaid with glass and other materials for pieces that fit anywhere. “You’d be surprised how well it works with wood,” she said.

The company is donating a couple of University of Kansas-themed wine chillers for an upcoming silent auction to benefit KU alumni programs.

In additional to residential customers, Mix has placed or is working on pieces for several local businesses, including Cocoa Dolce and the new RSA Marketing Services offices in the Commerce Street arts district.

Although generally heavier than other materials, Williamson said, objects made of concrete can be much lighter than expected, based on how they’re designed.

But a little heft can come in handy, too, she said, especially when you’re talking about outdoor furnishings.

“Those pieces just do not move with the Kansas wind,” she said.

This story was originally published October 15, 2014 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Small Business Spotlight: Concrete designs offer sturdiness, style."